Models and Methods of Measuring Sustainable Development Performance

Reflecting early thinking on indicator and information systems in IISD's Measurement and Assessment Program, the paper was prepared to assist the Government of Manitoba, Canada in the establishment of a provincial scale sustainable development reporting system. Going beyond conceptual frameworks and examples of indicator sets, it also approcahes indicator selection from the process as well as institutional point of view. The report provides a review of the following, based on the state of knowledge and practice in the first half of the 1990s:

• a summary of outstanding community based and provincial / state level projects using or developing indicators that cover most sustainable development issue areas, as well as a short analysis of their strengths and weaknesses;

• a reference to initiatives of international organizations providing globally relevant sustainable development indicators and a discussion of their applicability in a provincial level project; and,

• a discussion of a coherent framework and methodology to develop indicators for provincial level sustainable development reporting and suggestions for the application of indicators.